Give Of Yourself
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 981b-987b: Every year Coach Sylvester has this secret project going, and this year, they want to get selected - Sue, Unholy Trinity, Brittana, Klaine
1. And Off We Go

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 46th cycle. Now cycle 47!_

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_**This is a shift day.** There was another upload this morning: Troika, chapter 15._

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**"Give of Yourself"  
Sue, Unholy Trinity, Brittana, Klaine**

**A/N: This story/week is dedicated to the rockin' miss Vanessa  
as created for her birthday next Monday :D**

**1. And Off We Go**

Next to the competitions, this was the most stressful and competitive time for the Cheerios. The whole thing was closer to an urban legend, an old tale, with how hard it was to even get chosen. It all depended on the coach.

But this time, Santana had a plan.

She had called for Brittany and Quinn to meet her at the Lima Bean after school, and when they arrived, she was there waiting for them, spying about.

"Why do I feel like I've been summoned?" Quinn asked as the two blondes sat.

"Maybe you need to stretch more before practice," Brittany nodded to her. Quinn frowned at her, confused, but she just nodded back.

"So what's up?" Quinn asked Santana, still looking to Brittany, absolutely baffled by her.

"Easy. The three of us are going to get Sylvester's Showcase this year."

That was what they called it. Not much was known about it, they figured, because the coach had sworn 'her selected few' to secrecy, under penalty of her wrath. That only made them want to know more, which they were sure was part of the reason the coach kept it that way.

But some facts had still come to trickle out over time and the occasional drunken confession. What they knew went something like this: every year around Christmas, Coach Sylvester selected a handful of students, 99% of the time Cheerios, and had them perform at a private event. What this even was remained unknown, but from what they knew they could only guess it was of importance, with how the coach focused on it for a couple of weeks… It was the best part of the year for them on the Cheerios, where one step out of bounds didn't get them bullhorn blasted to cry off in a corner. After the event itself had passed, they could tell who had been selected; they got it easy, for the rest of the year sometimes.

"Okay?" Quinn responded to Santana's claim. "How are we going to do that?"

"Well first off, why wouldn't she want us, we're the best ones she's got."

"Yeah," Brittany grinned, which made Quinn smile along with Santana.

"And second?" Quinn asked.

"We're going to poach us some talent."

"Who do you have in mind?"

"A couple of little gay birds who just scream Christmas special," Santana offered with a proud smirk. Quinn considered this, while Brittany stared between them, frowning with uncertainty. Before she got to asking though, Quinn answered the question for her.

"Why would Kurt and Blaine ever want to do this? Either way, they don't even go to McKinley."

"This thing has nothing to do with McKinley," Santana pointed out. "It's about who gets that spotlight, and they get that."

"And…" Brittany prodded knowingly.

"And there's no way I'm sharing it with some hack," Santana frowned.

"And…" Brittany kept going, making Santana blink.

"And there's no way I'm letting Jenny get it," she added, looking to Brittany to see if she had more to say, but the blonde just smiled victoriously.

"Can I have your cookie?" she pointed to the plate in front of her, and Santana slid it her way.

"The five of us could do something so much better than that…"

"Okay, I get the picture," Quinn interrupted whatever insults Santana was about to spout off.

"Are you in?" Santana asked.

"I am," Brittany pitched in first, and it came down to Quinn.

"Fine," she sat back. "Have you even talked to the guys about this y…" Santana interrupted her now, whistling over her head.

"Over here." Quinn turned in her chair, and here they were, in their Dalton uniforms. "Please, sit."

"What's she up to?" Kurt asked Quinn.

"Just sit," she told him.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	2. And Won't You Join Us

_**This is a shift day.** There was another upload this morning: Troika, chapter 16._

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**"Give of Yourself"**

**2. And Won't You Join Us**

**ETA: Ah! I forgot again! Had to come and add this:  
the story takes place between ep209 and 211 :)**

Once they'd taken their seats, Kurt and Blaine were given the pitch. When Santana had mentioned the Sylvester Showcase, as expected, Blaine had no idea what that meant. As for Kurt, there had been a flicker of recognition in his eye when she'd said the words, followed by his back going straight – he knew. Whether he knew from his brief stint on the Cheerios or from whispers in the halls, she wasn't sure and, at the same time, she didn't care. What she did care about was the interest he was already showing.

She didn't have to tell Blaine about it; Kurt had taken up the task of telling his friend what he knew, which amounted to more or less what they knew. The boy listened to it all before turning to the three girls.

"So you want to be the ones she picks, and you want us to do it with you?" he checked. The girls nodded. "I'm flattered, I just don't get why you would ask me. You barely know me, and we're not from the same school…"

"All that is true," Santana agreed. "And while there are a number of things I would like to point out," she made a general gesture at his head, "I'll stick to what matters here. I want to win. The best way to do that is to select the right people for the given situation. From what I saw back at Sectionals I'd say that includes you. And I trust his judgement, and he seems to think you're pretty good, too," she nodded to Kurt, whose ears were veering on crimson. "But, hey, if you don't want to do it…"

"Give us a minute, will you?" Kurt stepped in, motioning for Blaine to follow him into the waiting line to order coffee. "So that's Santana…" Kurt sighed, and Blaine smiled.

"Yeah, I remember," he nodded.

"Look, if you don't want to do this, I'll completely understand. She can be a lot to deal with, and that's not even mentioning Coach Sylvester…"

"I think it sounds like fun," he cut to the chase, and Kurt's breath caught… Blaine had a way of doing that to him. Now if he could just find a way to tell him that… "And it'll be good for you, right? Being back with some of the people from your old school…"

"Yes, it will," he had to admit. It hadn't been that long, and still he missed them all like crazy. "So, you're in?"

"I am if you are." Kurt smiled.

X

Once they had told the girls that they would do it, that was one step in the right direction, only it was the end of the road until they could get the okay to cross from the coach. That would be the real challenge. Being too direct would no doubt mean immediate banishment from consideration, while being too discreet would guarantee that they'd be looked over.

If all else failed, Santana knew they had one card they could play, but she didn't want to have to use it unless it was absolutely necessary.

She'd been getting texts from Kurt here and there, wanting to know what was happening, if she'd done it yet, if they were trapped in Sylvester's office polishing trophies yet. It was only aggravating her more, though at the same time it was giving her some ideas. Far be it for her to use what was happening with him to get anything, but if he would benefit, too, then there wasn't really any harm, was there?

The initial idea, the first step in their covertly obvious plan was to present themselves as a unified front, an efficient trio who not only led by example but excelled above all others. Basically, they had to bring their A game. It wasn't that they'd usually slack off, but they could lose focus, lose finesse, depending on the day. But now they could have none of that.

They knew they were heading in the right direction when the coach had – begrudgingly and sort of backhandedly – pointed them out as a good example to the rest of the Cheerios. The frown on Jenny's face was delicious.

After that, they had begun a campaign of strategic placements, the better for the coach to occasionally overhear them. The subjects varied and escalated. They missed Kurt. Kurt was in a new Glee Club and they were really good. Kurt had this friend there in that Glee Club who was really great as well. It was too bad they couldn't all perform together, especially with how Kurt had to leave…

On that last one, the three girls had stood and looked back to the coach as she kept walking on by, almost leaning in, waiting to see that moment, the flash, the idea. When she stopped at the end of the hall and appeared about to turn, they hurried to turn back to one another.

"Okay, act normal," Santana muttered.

"What do we do?" Brittany asked.

"In your case, I really don't know," Quinn looked to her.

"Brittany!" the coach's voice cut across the students like an axe, and the trio froze. "My office, now!" The blonde's eyes grew wide.

"What do I do?"

"Go, go," both Santana and Quinn reached for her shoulders to turn her around and nudge her in the coach's direction.

X

Kurt tried to listen as the Warblers discussed this event and that, but the one event he was interested in was the Sylvester Showcase. So while he made to listen, his eyes instead would be turned to his phone, hoping for a message, a confirmation of progress, something…

He looked up every now and then, not wanting to appear rude. On one of those glances, his eyes had met with Blaine's, who was staring back from across the room. He wasn't insulted, was he? Kurt loved being part of the Warblers, especially thanks to him, but then there was this…

Blaine wasn't upset. He just gave him a nod – they would get selected, he was sure – and a tilt of the head – but for now they had to concentrate. Kurt breathed out, understanding and putting his phone back in his pocket.

It hadn't been ten seconds that he felt it vibrate and he pulled it right back out again. He had a message from Santana. He tried to play it cool as he opened it.

It wasn't exactly the confirmation he was hoping for yet, but it may have been close: Sylvester had called Brittany into her office.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	3. And Let's Try This

_**This is a shift day.** There was another upload this morning: Troika, chapter 17._

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**"Give of Yourself"**

**3. And Let's Try This**

Waiting for Brittany to return was the worst version of the waiting game they knew. They had no idea what the coach had called her into her office for. Maybe it had nothing to do with their plans. And if it did, having it put on Brittany's shoulders could make it a hit or miss in so many ways. She could get them a win just as fast as she could make the whole thing come down in shambles and banish them to the lowest of the low in her book… If that happened, they may have to change school… change state. As much as they trusted her and cared for her, they really couldn't call where it would fall.

"Here she comes," Quinn tapped Santana's arm eventually. She looked up, seeing Brittany very calmly walk out of the office, with the coach standing at the door for a moment. When she'd heard the door shut behind her, Brittany quickly looked to make sure the coach had retreated. She had, so Brittany quickened her pace, dashing up to the two.

"What did she say?" Santana asked.

"She picked us," Brittany smiled, and Quinn grinned, while Santana gave something like a full-bodied nod, cheering to herself.

"The boys, too?" she asked, and Brittany nodded, which repeated Santana's reaction. "Okay, I'll let them know," she pulled out her phone, then paused. "What else did she say?"

"We have to prepare something for her, to present tomorrow afternoon at five."

"Tom…" Santana blinked before she started dialling, then pointing at the two blondes, "If you've got plans this afternoon, cancel them, evening, too. Maybe we should call in sick tomorrow…" she thought to herself.

"Easy, easy," Quinn frowned at her.

"My house, this afternoon… Wait, no, Britt, can we go to your house?"

"Uh, sure," she shrugged. "What's wrong with your house?"

"Nothing, your basement isn't a mess though."

X

So the five of them had convened in Brittany's basement that afternoon. Immediately it became clear not one of them had a similar vision as to what they should do, especially where it came to who would get the all-important lead.

"Why can't we all get the lead?" Brittany asked. There was hesitation on some of them, but it was Quinn who finally put her foot down.

"Sounds good to me."

"Fine, if you two agree?" Santana looked to Kurt and Blaine.

"I don't mind, I guess. We're supposed to show her what we can all do anyway, right? Like an audition?" Blaine pointed out.

"Okay, so five parts… Where does that take us?" Kurt asked the other four. "We don't even know what our audience is."

"For this, it's Sylvester," Santana reminded him.

"Yes, I understand, but she wants us to play it like it's the real deal, doesn't she?" Kurt reminded right back.

"Fine, then you come up with something," she challenged. "Not Broadway," she added.

"Is that all you think I can do?"

"No, but you don't exactly stray from it too much," she told him.

"And you don't have a niche, too?" he returned.

"Guys, hey, twenty-four hours, remember?" Quinn cut in. "You can tell each other that you missed one another later." They stared at her, but they obeyed, throwing a small smile the other's way.

"I do choreography, right?" Brittany spoke up.

"Was there any doubt?" Santana pointed out, and she grinned. "But first we need a song." The room was silent for a couple of minutes, all of them going through song options in their heads.

X

The choice had not been an easy lock. At some point they had started volleying back and forth, one artist leading to another, which lead to a song, then another song, then another, then a new artist, and so on and so forth, until they had found themselves on the choice that made them pause. The opinions went from being uncertain they could do it as they'd planned, others not sure it would be a fit to them, or to the coach… But they were running out of time, and this was the only song they could sort of agree on. So they had taken the leap.

They would present themselves with George Michael's "Freedom."

They had worked out the whole thing in the span of the afternoon, stopped for dinner, then carried on practicing until it was almost midnight. The next day, as they were all split in two schools, they couldn't practice together again, but on their sides they would do what they could over lunch. Quinn, Santana, and Brittany used the choir room, while Kurt and Blaine used the Warblers' room. By four forty-five they were all lined up outside the gym, changed out of their respective uniforms and into the costumes as dictated by both Kurt and Santana.

The coach came striding along, paused to observe them for a moment, then walked in, letting them follow. She took a seat and waited, so they took to the 'stage,' aided by the radio Kurt had provided. They got into position, the music started, and they were off. They couldn't doubt anything, just go for it.

When it was over, the gym echoed in silence. The coach was still looking at them, and they honestly had no idea what to make of it. Her face gave them absolutely no indication as to whether she liked it or not. They looked to one another briefly, wondering if they should say something.

She got up then and started walking toward them. It wouldn't have seemed like the craziest thing for them to just turn and run away, and could she give them any sign she wasn't about to kill them? She stopped in front of them, looked to all of them in turn.

"Come with me." She said no more, turning and leaving the gym.

"What do we do?" Brittany whispered.

"Do what she says. We go with her," Santana nodded. So they followed, out of the gym, the school, into the parking lot… to her car.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	4. And See What For

_**This is a shift day.** There was another upload this morning: Troika, chapter 18._

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**"Give of Yourself"**

**4. And See What For**

**A/N: Please note that this story will tie into my Sylvesters series.  
Also if you haven't read it, it also ties back to one story called "Specks of Light" :)**

As much as they would have liked to consider whether or not to get in that car, they had to trust the woman wouldn't in fact put them in danger, especially after a performance which, at least to them, had turned out pretty darn good, all things considered. So they had gotten in. Quinn had landed herself in the passenger seat, leaving the other four to negotiate the back seat. In the end it had been Blaine, then Santana, and then Kurt… in Brittany's lap. She was fighting the urge to laugh the whole way, as all backseat passengers did... except for Kurt, who lived his shame with a silent glare.

But then they had arrived to their mystery destination, and… they paused. Why she would bring them to a place that very much looked like a hospital, they did not get. "You want to know what you're up against, the kind of performance you should create, then follow me. Again she didn't leave them time to argue, getting out of the car and walking toward the building.

"Can everyone get out so I can get out?" Kurt asked, still stuck perched on Brittany's knees.

"What's wrong, is baby cranky?" Santana laughed.

"Move, now," he frowned. Once they were out of the car, they lined up and looked to the building.

"I don't get it," Santana frowned. "Where are we?"

Of the five of them, two knew the answer, though they would not say it. Quinn knew that she and Brittany had come to discover the place, and the secret it held, after following the coach one day. They had long vowed to keep it that: a secret.

"Let's just go after her," Quinn suggested, and off they went. Sue had waited for them at the door, and there she led them in.

They were all silent as they followed her, keeping to themselves as they took in their surroundings. Then the coach was approached by a woman.

"Oh, hello, Sue," she smiled warmly. "Are these your performers for the fundraiser?" she asked, looking to the five of them standing there, still in their matching outfits from the 'audition.' They must have looked odd, standing there. They looked to one another when the word 'fundraiser' came up, but the pieces wouldn't finish falling into place until shortly after.

"Yes, that's them," she looked back to the five. "I wanted them to see what they would be helping, how important it is," she could just as well have been talking directly to them. Suddenly the whole prestige of the selected few had shifted. It wasn't that they didn't want it anymore. Quite the opposite, now the worth of being part of this had gotten so much higher… It wasn't about the spotlight, and the preferential treatment anymore. And this was even before what came next.

Sue had told them to walk about, see the place, get to know the people, being respectful. As she had gone on her own though, they had looked after her and seen when she came to sit with a woman who waited alone at a table in an adjacent room.

"Who's that?" Blaine asked the others.

"Coach Sylvester's sister," Brittany had volunteered it, looking after them. To the boys she wouldn't say anything further; to the girls, she wouldn't have to. They knew her secret, knew about her mother, and so they'd know the woman was her aunt. They didn't know it was even thanks to her that the coach had agreed to use them for the fundraiser, though Santana had been ready to use this if need be.

Instead, the five observed the sisters from a distance. They saw the coach in a whole new light, saw her smiling like never before in all but one of their cases. If she wanted to give them perspective, she had gone and done it.

After this, they had done what she'd told them to do. They'd gone around, taken in their surroundings, the place where these people lived, worked, visited… It wasn't just the coach and her sister, it was all so much more…

When their tour was done and they all stood huddled outside the doors, Sue had approached them, serious again. "Still want in on this?"

"Yes, absolutely," Quinn spoke for the group. "We'd be happy to," she added, and the others agreed with silent nods.

"The fundraiser is in two weeks. You have one week to get a number ready that you must present to me first. Is that understood?" They nodded. "Alright then. I don't need to tell you what will happen if you go talking about this to all your little friends." They were silent, which she took as confirmation. "Excellent. If you want me to take you back to the school, follow me. Otherwise, the bus stop is there on the corner," she pointed and headed back to her car. The five followed, regaining their previous seats.

After she had dropped them off they had just stood in the parking lot for some time. They didn't even know where to start, but they knew one thing: this wasn't the time for gossip, or for egos.

"We need to rethink everything," Kurt had first declared. "This won't do," he indicated his clothes, meaning their previous number.

"Britt, are you still at…" Santana asked the blonde, leaving out the 'your dad's' part, knowing the boys would assume Joe Pierce's wife to be her mother, and that this was her only home.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "You guys can all come over again tonight."

"Why don't we just take the night off," Quinn suggested. "We can come up with ideas to discuss tomorrow," she suggested.

"I think that might be a good idea," Blaine pitched in, and Brittany nodded in agreement.

"Tomorrow it is then?" Santana agreed, looking to Kurt, who confirmed.

So off they had gone, each one of them left to ponder what they might offer up. Now that they knew what they were doing it was both inherently harder and easier to come up with proper offerings. They wanted to help, help the hospital and, in something of a first, help Sue Sylvester.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	5. And Keep On Working

_**This is a shift day.** There was another upload this morning: Troika, chapter 19._

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**"Give of Yourself"**

**5. And Keep On Working**

After a day to think and start over, it was time for them to get to work. They had less than a week before presenting their revised number to Coach Sylvester, and they wanted to use it right. It felt like this wasn't even the same project they had started working on in the first place, but in the best way possible.

They made their way to Brittany's house after school, the girls coming in from McKinley, the boys from Dalton. "Just so you know, we've started using the code word 'cheer camp' to talk about this. Some people are getting way too curious," Santana frowned.

"Wait, that's what you were talking about?" Brittany turned to her, caught off guard.

"Let's just get started," Kurt told them, and they sat down, much as they had a few days before, only with their new outlook on things perhaps guaranteeing things might turn out a whole different way.

"Okay, here's an idea, why don't we all just put our one best idea each on one sheet, and we can go from there," Quinn suggested, taking a blank sheet and writing one line on it. Santana snatched up the sheet without hesitation and added her contribution. After that the sheet had gone around until all five of them had given something. Now with the list sitting in the middle for all to see, they would lean in to look.

"I don't know that we could do this one, not with the number of us, or the kind of stage we're bound to get," Santana pointed to one of the choices. They paused to consider it.

"Yeah, maybe not," Quinn agreed, and soon the song was crossed out.

"This one might be too out there for them," Kurt pointed to another, which also went the way of the first. As they had gotten down to three, the solution presented itself not by continuing the eliminations until there was just one left, but simply by having all five of them agree that there was one that stood out for its possibilities on so many levels. It had been decided then: they had found their song.

Kurt could tell Blaine felt still slightly at odds, not knowing the girls as well, and also that he had been surprised when the song they'd chosen had turned out to be the one he had suggested, like he would have been an extra wheel just there to help but without input. The two of them were friends now, though Kurt definitely wanted more. When they had been brought into this project, he couldn't help but think this was what was happening… not that he would be ready to test the theory yet.

The week carried on from there. They would gather, and practice, adding in choreography which Brittany assembled, even calling in Blaine for assistance since it was his song. They were all nervous, not knowing if Coach Sylvester would approve their performance. If she didn't, they had a feeling the next week would be a nightmare, as it would mean that much time, now to be taken over by Sue herself.

When the time came to present to her, their nerves were worse than with their first song. They had done this so many times, both as far as this particular number, and in things like Glee Club, and yet here they were…

They had done the number, channeling any and all nerves into turning in their best performance yet, by their assumption. That wouldn't matter in the end, all that could matter was what the coach thought. They awaited her comments like they should brace for impact.

She had not used the words 'I loved it' or 'you were great,' but the words she did use definitely gave that impression. They had the go to continue, to present their number at the fundraiser the next week.

But they weren't done. It had taken Santana to get it out of her, but Brittany had another idea. She wanted to do a second number, something even bigger. She said she'd asked them over there and they were happy to have them do it, but she hadn't told Sue. The other four had loved the concept, and they had offered themselves to help gather the information they would need to pull this off.

On Saturday they had returned, just the five of them, and they had made the rounds, and they had spoken with the patients. A lot of them would be in attendance, at the fundraiser, and to those they asked a very simple question.

They asked them what some of their favorite songs were, which one was their favorite. They found in a lot of cases some faces just brought to light as they talked about music, about songs that touched them in one way or the other. Sometimes they didn't know the title, just how it went, and they would demonstrate to their captive audience, who sometimes sang along. It took one afternoon, but it felt like only minutes had gone by.

When they were done, the five had reconvened for a group dinner at Breadstix. As they ate, they shared the songs, relayed their conversations with the people there. In some cases it seemed they had formed bonds with them.

The trick now was to select songs, figure out how many they could do, how many patients they could serve in their Brittany-inspired medley. As the playlist shaped up, they distributed singing parts depending either on style, other times on a simple demand that they get the song to sing for someone they had spoken to themselves.

Once the list was set, they had to set transitions, figure placements, instruments, choreography. It would be a full set, something bigger than ever. The closest any of them had come to this was the botched production of Rocky Horror.

The most worrisome part remained that they hadn't cleared this with Coach Sylvester. They sort of wanted it to be a surprise, just as much as they really didn't want her to say no they could only hope that she'd be touched, not led to retribution on them.

The last days were spent alternating between the number she knew about, and the medley she knew nothing about. The mentions of 'cheer camp' around the others had led to them being claimed as liking Cheerios more than Glee Club, but they just brushed it off. None of them would ever even get to know about this anyway. It was just the five of them and Sue… eventually.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	6. And Get Ready

_**This is a shift day.** There was another upload this morning: Troika, chapter 20._

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**"Give of Yourself"**

**6. And Get Ready**

The morning of the fundraiser, all five of them were awakened by a Sue Sylvester wake up call. The event was set to begin at two in the afternoon, and if any of them weren't on site by seven in the morning, they would have to answer to her. They would end up coming in as they tended to already, with the girls together in one car, and the boys in another. Their faces varied in states of readiness… or wakefulness for that matter. Santana looked ready to lay ruin on anyone who would attempt to part her from the coffee in her hands, and no one was entirely sure whether or not Brittany was in fact sleepwalking. Quinn, of all of them, looked the least disturbed, though she had yet to remove her sunglasses, so it was hard to tell. Blaine had a hoodie up over his head and kept swiping his hand in as though to tuck in a stray bit of hair. And Kurt, with bravery for ten, was eyeing Santana's coffee.

But they had made it on time. After checking in with the coach and finding no one else had been made to arrive so early, they had begun getting ready. They changed, started on their hair, makeup…

They had all rehearsed until midnight. They knew the lack of sleep might come back to hurt them, but they couldn't help it. They wanted to make sure their secret medley would be fail proof. It needed to be right on point or they wouldn't live to tell their tale. And since they couldn't actually practice on that next morning, before the fundraiser, since Sue would be there, this was their last chance. They had left satisfied and exhausted. Now it was all up to them.

Once they were ready, and after a Brittany-sponsored run around the building, the air had helped to wake them – that and the coffee – and they were able to run through their one song one last time for Sue, this time in the actual performance space. As they were standing there, looking around, they could see every last one of them was factoring in the medley performance as they observed their stage. Brittany had seen the stage before of course, in past years' fundraisers, but it wasn't as though she could tell the others. So the fact that it all fit well enough came out like a happy accident and a confidence booster for the day… so really everybody won.

With rehearsals done and the coach giving her usual evasive compliments, they were set. There were still a few hours to go, in which the five of them were tasked with helping in any way they could in the set up for the event. Time ticked away and, soon, the room was filled, and the fundraiser began. The five were waiting backstage for their time to come. Looks were shared, final pointers were mimed, and luck was wished with hands reaching out to hold other hands… They were as ready as they would be.

As they were called up, they went into position. Their number was announced, as the coach knew it to be and nothing more. They would perform "Come Sail Away" by Styx.

Kurt, sitting at the piano, began playing the opening notes before singing out the first verse. Then along came Quinn for the next. After a moment, along came Blaine, taking up a place next to Quinn, circling the piano, and on the next verse it was Santana who came in and lengthened the line around the instrument.

As the music picked up, provided by the hired band that backed them up, the four moved away from the piano to take center stage, their voices mixing together as they carried the song on through to the chorus. From the wings, Brittany watched them move, counting off their shifts as she waited for her own cue. She was drawn to look into the audience, smiling as she saw how happy everyone looked, especially her aunt and her mother. In doing this she had very nearly missed her cue, but then she remembered, dashing over to come through from the back, walking through the band to come stand in the middle with her friends around her, as she took the final verse before they all sang through the chorus and through the end of the song.

They bowed to the applause, smiling, breathing… This part was done, and that was good, but now they had to wait. They went to their 'backstage' area and found they had been left a lunch… They were starving.

"How long before they call us back?" Blaine asked as they ate.

"They said we would go on right before the end," Brittany informed him.

"So about an hour," Santana translated.

"Any chance that hour might include a nap?" Quinn asked, stretching out her neck as she tried to fight back a yawn.

"I've seen you after a nap, not a good idea," Kurt shook his head, and she frowned at him.

"Did you see how happy they all looked?" Brittany changed the subject then, grinning with pride.

"Yeah, that was kind of sweet," Santana admitted with a smile she shared with the others.

"Hopefully they'll be smiling that much too with this second number," Kurt pointed out. The impending medley had come to matter to them even more than the first song. They had taken that initiative, and if all went well, then there shouldn't be any problems… with the unsuspecting coach.

In the hour they had to kill, between continued attempts to remedy their lack of sleep and trying even now to slip in more practice, they would watch the fundraiser unfold from the wings. They would spot their 'target audience' in the seats, anxious for what would come soon.

Finally, the woman had come on stage to announce 'something special to close another great event.' They could see the coach's ears all but perk up, wondering what was happening, but they couldn't think about that.

"She'll love it," Brittany nodded confidently.

"Better be right," Kurt sighed.

"Of course she is," Santana frowned.

"Okay, come on," Quinn nudged them, and they took to the stage. This was about bringing fun, and joy, and they knew they could do that. They had worked on and on for so long, now they couldn't go wrong, they felt it. All their work would pay off, in the best way possible, with a room full of smiles.

TO BE CONCLUDED (TOMORROW)


	7. And Give Thanks

_**This is a shift day.** There was another upload this morning: Troika, chapter 21._

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**"Give of Yourself"**

**7. And Give Thanks**

There was no time to think about catching anyone's eye just yet, at least not that someone. As they got on stage, the boys hung back while the three girls took the spotlight and the microphone and the band led them through the Shirelles' "Will you still love me tomorrow." Immediately it got the attention of Sandra, who had been the one to bring up how she'd always loved the song. The girls would direct the performance in complete dedication to her, much to her delight.

The fact that this may have been more than a single encore was realized slowly as the girls' song carried on directly into the next one. Here, the girls parted ways and Blaine came up in their place, with Elton John's "Sad songs." This one was dedicated to a man named Duncan. The others in the back, as they would do with all the songs, would alternate between swaying about or leading the crowd. It hadn't taken long for them to get into the spirit they gave out. They didn't perform the whole songs, with there being so many, but it was enough to please the intended people.

There was one duet in the whole set, and as Blaine stepped back, Kurt approached from one side, and Brittany came from the other. They had decided to share "Danny's song," for how it had meaning for Kurt and for Brittany in one way or another. It had been requested by a woman named Danielle, drawn to it since childhood for 'obvious reasons.' For the two singers, it created an opportunity to reunite old friends, and when they were finished, they hugged.

The next song turned the energy up just a bit, as Santana took center stage and went into "Mack the knife." She commanded the stage, leading one man to his feet. His name was Peter, and he had been the one to mention the song to her. She threw him a smile, and he looked ecstatic. This led into Blaine's return with Carly Simon's "You're so vain" and Kurt's solo of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the night," respectively for Angela and Marianne, two friends who sat together. They had paired the songs one after the other just for them.

The next number had required the most work. On vocal, Kurt, Santana and Quinn shared the spotlight, while Brittany had recruited Blaine as her dance partner. This was all for Walt, who had said he loved "Jump jive an' wail." Judging by his and the crowd's reaction, it was a big success. When it ended, everyone stepped back but Quinn, who got her solo performing "Que sera, sera" by Doris Day. Her 'mark', a tiny thing of a woman named Maisy, was just about brought to tears, leading Quinn to descend through the audience to go sing closer to her. Maisy took her hand with a smile at the end, which turned the tears on to Quinn now.

Blaine had returned after this, dedicating the Isley Brothers' "This Ol' Heart of Mine" to a woman named Mona who clapped and sang along from her seat, just as she had when Blaine had spoken to her the last time. He pointed out to her when he finished, and she just clapped harder.

There was one song left, and when they had given it to her as she had asked, never thinking it would be the closing number, Brittany had been just a bit scared. But she really wanted this one, wanted it to be there for her, and the rest of the group had decided it would be perfect. So with soft twinkling music, a departure for her no doubt, she had sung out "Pure Imagination" for her dear friend and aunt Jean, knowing without prompt that her favorite song from her favorite movie would make her overjoyed. The audience's eyes were all on her, and she would swear she had no recollection of the event after, but she looked to Jean as she sang, saw how happy she was, and even forgetting the rest, this part she would remember. The others had come to stand around her, just as they had at the end of "Come Sail Away," and the medley ended to great and loud applause. They took a bow, left the stage…

They were happy. It had been everything they could have hoped for and more. They laughed, they hugged, they complimented one another… and then there was Sue behind them. They paused as she came up to them… Moment of truth, they'd say.

"In all the years I've done this fundraiser and brought in students, the five of you were the only ones who really got it," she spoke evenly, and they might have been too shocked to react. "Thank you," Sue bowed her head, and they smiled. "But make no mistake," she went on, and the smiles paused. "Pull anything like that in Cheerios and you're out," she addressed the girls.

"Yes, Coach," Quinn spoke for them. Sue nodded silently, then turned and headed off.

"So that's done, then," Kurt breathed out.

"Come on, drinks on me," Santana indicated the door.

"It's like four…" Quinn frowned.

"It's an expression," Santana looked to her. "Now I'm buying, are you in or not?"

"If I don't pass out," she nodded, and they were off.

Returning to school after this, Santana would of course hold to the coach's demand for secrecy, though it didn't stop her from finding ways to rub Jenny's nose in it. Some would come and ask questions, but they could not, would not say a word.

It was left to be seen whether the part about the Coach going easy on them would hold true. Lately she was looking slightly distracted and unimpressed in Cheerios practice. Either way, they would be satisfied regardless. It wasn't really about all that to them anymore.

Over at Dalton, it would start dawning on Kurt that this brief escapade was done and once again he was split from his friends. But at least he had Blaine, an even better friend now. He was ready to look ahead, hoping maybe some things with them would continue to evolve.

And no matter what, the five of them would always have this. They had turned in the best show of Sylvester's many 'selected few,' and they had helped make this the most lucrative fundraiser in a long time, both in the money raised and in how it made the people feel, made the patients happy. They would never forget what it had come to mean to all of them.

THE END


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